Alarm Clocks You Cannot Ignore

If you are like most people, the morning comes entirely too soon, and your alarm clock has taken its fair share of abuse. You probably hit the snooze button at least a couple of times before rolling out of bed knowing this will only put you behind and will not really give you the rest you want. What if you had an alarm clock that could not be ignored in the morning? could you start your day not in a rush?

This list of alarm clocks might be well worth your money or they might inspire you to come up with a clock as equally if not more creative. They could also give you an idea about what you absolutely cannot ignore in the morning and will have you up and out of bed the moment it goes off.

Nixie Ramos

This alarm clock has also been labeled the most diabolically evil alarm clock. The goal of the Nixie Ramos alarm clock is to get you out of bed immediately – no snooze allowed. The only way to deactivate this alarm clock is to get up and walk to the Defuse Panel that can be set up in a different part of your home. Then you have to enter a code (the date) that will wirelessly tell the clock to turn off. The alarm clock is also only battery operated to keep you from unplugging it, and it is not exactly cheap so damaging it might not be the wisest decision.

Phillip's Wake Up Light

Possibly much less annoying than the Nixie unless light is more bothersome to you than sound, the Phillip's Wake Up Light uses a combination of light and sound that gradually increase to slowly wake you up instead of jarring you out of whatever dream you might have been having.

Clocky

This little guy will let you hit the snooze button, but you may pay for it afterwards. After you hit snooze, Clocky rolls off the table or whatever you may have sat him on. Then he finds a place to hide until it is time to go off again. This leaves you with the only option of getting out of bed to look for him.

Sfera

The Sfera alarm clock is another one that is effective but works more at your own pace in the morning. The clock will hang above your bed and when you hit snooze in the morning it will retract so you have to reach a little further to hit snooze the next time. The goal is that eventually you will have no choice but to get up to turn the alarm off.

OKITE

Since many people now use their mobile phone as an alarm clock it would not be fair to leave out an alarm to help this group of people get up in the morning. The OKITE app in particular is for iPhone users. The app is linked to the users Twitter account and each time you hit snooze in the morning, be prepared to have a humiliating or weird post go out to your followers. So, this one may not be that effective for you if sleep is more important than public image.

Source: TrendHunter, lifehacker, Top10, MSN

A Brief History of the Pocket Watch

Towson Watch Company "Classic"

Even though we may only think of them as heirlooms or antiques now. Before the invention of the wristwatch, pocket watches were the portable clock of choice. The reign of pocket watches lasted several centuries. From the 16^th century until World War I, if a person carried a clock with them it was a variation of a pocket watch.

First Mention

The earliest mention of pocket watches dates back to 1462 in a letter from Italian clockmaker Bartholomew Manfredi to the Marchese di Mantova Federico Gonzaga. However, it was master locksmith of Nuremberg Peter Henlein that is noted as inventing the actual pocket watch design, and by 1524 he was manufacturing pocket watches regularly.

Design

Until Henlein created the mainspring that made it possible for small and portable clocks to exist, clocks were powered by falling weights. Then in 1650 English physicist Robert Hooke designed a watch with a balance spring. This controlled the oscillations of the wheel that more efficiently controlled the watch's operation.

By the 18^th century, jewels were used as bearings – some pocket watches even used diamonds. This was to smoothen and lubricate the movement of the watch's hands.

Only one hand was used until the 16^th century when the second hand was introduced, and this was a vast improvement in the accuracy of the time. In the second half of the 18^th century a third hand was added.

Evolution

Clocks that were worn date back to the 16^th century when individuals would pin a smaller clock pendant to their clothes or wear on a chain around their neck. By the 17^th century men began to wear watches in their pockets instead of as pendants. Charles II of England was said to have started this trend when he introduced waistcoats. This style caused the pocket watch to evolve into what they are known as today.

By the end of the 18^th century watches were becoming more common, and special cheap pocket watches with maritime paintings on the dials were sold to sailors. This had a lot to do with Aaron Lufkin Dennison inspiration from mass-production techniques he learned while working for a firearms company. His partner, Edward Howard, and he figured out how to create machines that would mass produce parts small enough to make clocks.

Pocket watches helped to bring forward some very famous names in clock design. They also helped to push forward the quality of clock design. Until the 20^th century with the arrival of WWI, pocket watches were insanely popular. After the increase in wristwatch popularity, pocket watches started to become an image of an older time.

Source: ehow, Old and Sold, Wikipedia